Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-02-25
STILL A MYSTERY.
THE QUESTION OF WHO KILLED JAMES
ElLEUNSOLyRD.
The Evidence Taken Before the Coroner Throws
No Light Upon the
Matter.

The inquest upon the body OF James
Kiie, whose death was recorded in yester-
days REGISTER, was concluded yesterday
afternoon, leaving the authorities entirely
in the dark as to the identity of the person
who struck the fatal blow. The jury sum-
moned by Coroner Schultze met in the
private room of the Keeper Of the Lookup,
at the City Hall, yesterday afternoon at
three O'Clock, where the examination was
conducted by Prosecuting Attorney Jor-
dan. The Jury consisted Of MeSsrs. Louis
Delbrugge, foreman, Peter Bonenberger,
Oscar Seeley, J. W. Ferrell, Peter Reilly,
VIM. Blankinsop, II. Richards, Frank
Auber, William Yost, Frank Maloney,
James Held, and John Yahnke.
The first person examined was Owen
Sullivan, the saloon keeper who owns the
place where Kile is said to have stopped
for a glass of beer just before he was
struck, and where some men attempted 10
quarrel with him. Mr.. Sullivan had no
recollection of a disturbance in his place
on or about January 18th; did not know
Kile by sight, and never heard of the case
until he read of it in the papers.
Mrs. Mary Kile, wifeo of the deceased, was
the next witness. She repeated substan-
TALLY the story published in the REGISTER
of Wednesday morning, but the addi-
tional information was ELECTED, through
questions, that her husband some
times had trouble with her mother, but
that lit never amounted to anything.
Her husband had not been under the in
huence of liquor since the family returned
from Ohio, except upon the night he was
hit; that night he had IN glass of beer,
which he obtained in Sullivan's. Her
husband did not get home till n o'clock
on the night he was hit. He was bloody
when he came in and said he had been hit.
George Bowman, a constable for Richie
district, testified that he had never heard
OF the trouble until he saw it in the papers.
He had never helped a man home from
the neighiorhoOd of Jacob and Thirty
third streets.
Officers John Devlin, Henry Brinkman
and Michael Hansumaker, of the Eighth
ward, deposed that they had never heard
of the alleged disturbance in or about
Sullivan's until their attention had
been called to Kile's condition by
REGISTER reporters anu they saw
it in the papers. They had not helped
anyone home about the l4th of January,
had seen nothing of Kile's hat, which he
lost when he fell from the blow, and had
heard norumors of a row. They did not
know Kile by sight. The streets about
the corner OF Thirty-third and Jacob were
well lighted at night, and people were
ten O'Clock.
Philip Kunz, the manager of the Boggs
run coal mines, said kile had worked for
him. He worked on January 18th, missed
on the 18th, which was Saturday, and
worked OH Sunday, the 10th, and on the
following Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday
and Thursday. After that day he never
worked. His wife came down to the
works about two weeks ago, and said she
thought her husband would be at work the
next week. kile worked at full union
prices, had never taken another mans job,
and was on good terms with all the men,
DIR. Wilson, who conducted the post
norton, was sworn, and then read the fol-
lowing report
Examined the body of James Kile, at
No, 2l4G alley A, February %, 1887, at 3
p. H., sixteen hours after death. In ad.
dition to the usual appearances there were
two small a%brasiOns, not very recent, and
of no special significance, one over the
right hip, the other on the back of the
right arm, Just below the shoulder. Also
q partially healed wound on the scalp, q
little to the left OF the middle Of the back
part of the head. Beneath this wound
a small portion of the external
plate of the skull was wanting, it evident
ly having been Clipped or broken away by
some external violence. On removing the
upper part of the skull, the internal plate
at this point was found 10 be perforated,
the opening beiGg about large enough to
admit an ordinary Knitting needle. In
the substance of the brain, beneath the
seat of fracture, II large abscess was found,
and at different points anterior to this,
and ut varying depths in the brain sub
stance, three other small assesses were
found. These were all situated in the left
hemisphere Of the brain. The whole of the
left hemisphere was very much soitened.
All the other organs seemed to be in a nor
NAL condition, except such changes as
occur at the moment of death and after
wards. Death was caused by the alb
scesses, and these, no doubt, were directly
by the violence which produced the
fracture of the skull and the wounds on
the scalp"
On examination, DR.. Wilson said there
WAS nothing to indicate what caused the
wound. The fracture might have been
by a fall, but the appearance of the
suggested a sharp-cornered object.
The wound was inflicted too long ago to
be certain about it. II looked as if
sharp point had penetrated the skull and
the bone out. The absccss in the
skull had been opened by his predecessor, |
and at that time a small piece of bone had
been taken out.
Constable William Laughlin was the
witness. He said kile was ola quar-
disposition and was addicted to
drink. He had arrested him OH one Oc.
rasion and committed him to Jail.
This closed the evidence, and after due
lpuSIhti Nv NV July ie'uihSh ''iui't
hat the deceased had come 10 his death by
a wound inflicted upon the crown OF his
head by a blow received at the hands Of
person or persons unknown.
There is cause for the suspicion that Kile
lid not receive his wound either upOn the
lay stated by Mrs. Kile, nor under the
circumstances or at the place referred to in
the above testimony. ~Itisthought by many
,onversant with the case that the man
would not have worked five days after hav-
ing his skull fractured, and people of this
mind think the injury was received on the
night OF Thursday, January 20-the night
the last day he worked and the night
before he took to his bed. The wound is
,ne which might have been caused by the
corner Of a fiat iron or the corner Of a
hatcnet-blade.
To Chicago by Daylight.
Passengers taking the G. & p. train
leayiDp BridpeD1rt at 5.I5 n. IN. city time |